Charles "Lucky" Luciano
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Charles "Lucky" Luciano, major criminal in 20th century.
Born Salvatore Luciano, in Sicily, Italy on November 24, 1897, was well known for splitting NYC into five crime families. He was the head of Genovese crime family. He became one of the most notorious criminal figures of the 20th century. Luciano came to the U.S. to live with his family in 1906. Being illiterate in English, he preferred to learn how to make it on the streets of New York's Lower East Side instead of going to school. Luciano dropped out of school in 1914 and graduated to other offenses. His right hand men were his close friends, Meyer Lansky and Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel. He also became an ally to Guiseppe "Joe the Boss" Masseria's criminal operations. As a drug dealer he had his first run with the law in 1916, served six months at a reformatory for selling heroin.
The 1920's brought several opportunities for criminals to make a lot of money. Luciano was one of the "Big Six" of bootlegging. They dominated the illegal liquor trade on the east coast. Luciano earned his nickname "Lucky" by surviving a savage attack. He was abducted by a group of men, who beat, stabbed, and left him for dead on a beach in Staten Island. He was discovered by a police officer and taken to the hospital. No one knew for sure who set up the attack, some believed it was the police while others believed it was top crime boss Masseria. Luciano had worked for Masseria for years, but later supported Marazano. He helped arrange Masseria to meet a grisly end in April 1931.
The 1920's brought several opportunities for criminals to make a lot of money. Luciano was one of the "Big Six" of bootlegging. They dominated the illegal liquor trade on the east coast. Luciano earned his nickname "Lucky" by surviving a savage attack. He was abducted by a group of men, who beat, stabbed, and left him for dead on a beach in Staten Island. He was discovered by a police officer and taken to the hospital. No one knew for sure who set up the attack, some believed it was the police while others believed it was top crime boss Masseria. Luciano had worked for Masseria for years, but later supported Marazano. He helped arrange Masseria to meet a grisly end in April 1931.
His Final Years
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Final Jail.
Lucky wasn't so lucky in 1936. Luciano had lost his luck. He and eight members of his vice racket were brought to trial in May. He was sentenced to 30 to 50 years in jail for extortion and prostitution in June. Luciano was sent to Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, nicknamed "Siberia" by some, the remote prison was near the Canadian border. Luciano's attempts at appealing his case failed.
While in jail, Luciano offered to help the war effort by using his criminal connections in Italy to advance the Allies' cause. After the war, he received parole and a deportation order. He went back to Italy briefly and traveled to Cuba. In 1947, he was sent back to Italy where he remained under close surveillance He was NOT allowed to leave Naples, where he stayed. Luciano considered sharing the inside details of his life story over the years. In an odd twist of fate, he suffered a fatal heart attack at a Naples Airport in January 1962, he was there to meet with a film and television producer.
After hundreds gathered in Naples for the funeral, Luciano's body was returned to the United States. He is buried in the family's vault at St. John's Cemetery in Queens, New York. Though he was known as Charles "Lucky" Luciano, he was laid to rest under Salvatore Luciano.
While in jail, Luciano offered to help the war effort by using his criminal connections in Italy to advance the Allies' cause. After the war, he received parole and a deportation order. He went back to Italy briefly and traveled to Cuba. In 1947, he was sent back to Italy where he remained under close surveillance He was NOT allowed to leave Naples, where he stayed. Luciano considered sharing the inside details of his life story over the years. In an odd twist of fate, he suffered a fatal heart attack at a Naples Airport in January 1962, he was there to meet with a film and television producer.
After hundreds gathered in Naples for the funeral, Luciano's body was returned to the United States. He is buried in the family's vault at St. John's Cemetery in Queens, New York. Though he was known as Charles "Lucky" Luciano, he was laid to rest under Salvatore Luciano.